Think of this: instead of sitting at your desk responding to yet another email, you’re in tropical paradise sipping a mojito on the iconic Four Mile Beach.
You’re unwinding after riding your mountain bike along historic trails that encompass rural Queensland, lush rainforest and canefields; finishing on the iconic Four Mile Beach as you puffed and pedalled your way to the finish line and, if you’re lucky, part of the $2300 prize pool!
It’s September, and your Melbourne rides are the pits: cold and miserable. But in Tropical North Queensland it’s summer every day, with perfect weather and something for the whole family.
Sounds good, doesn’t it?
We caught up with Bade Stapleton, the Festival Director for the Port Douglas Gran Fondo Festival which includes the Hartley’s to Port 40km mountain bike race – a mountain biking event in paradise…but watch out for crocodiles!
Stapleton has been running events with Connect Sport for over 12 years, and even before that he was working for USM events, so needless to say he’s been in the event space for many, many years. The Port Douglas Gran Fondo Festival began back in 2022 with the Hartley’s to Port mountain bike race first introduced in 2023. Plus, the good news is that there is an e-bike category!
Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region and is the best place to see crocodiles and local wildlife up close. So it’s a perfect location to start the mountain bike event.
The best part? In order to expand the Hartley’s to Port mountain bike race to more riders, for 2025 entry prices have been slashed by 50%, you can find out more and enter here. But first, we dive deep into the rainforest and discuss the challenging 40km course.
Chasing Crocs and Riding the Bump: About the Course
“Riders start from the front of Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures and then go straight up Quaid Road. Quaid Road was originally built by developer George Quaid, who had visions for the road to access a major new development on the range. Unfortunately the development never went ahead so the road was never opened to the public and has been closed to traffic since it was completed back in 1988”
“The road is still owned by Mr Quaid but there has only been minimal maintenance carried out over the last 37 or so years and it’s now mostly broken up asphalt, gravel and parts have been completely reclaimed by the Earth,” says Bade. “It’s a 5 km climb and with an average gradient of over 8%, so it certainly sorts everyone out in the first part of the race”.
Once you have conquered Quaid Road, you take a right onto Black Mountain Road – a four-wheel-drive track that’s relentlessly undulating.
“It does cook your legs more than you may expect,” explains Bade, “because there’s some decent little climbs there as you roll along the top of the range, and then you take a right to start your descent down the famous Bump Track.”
Anybody in the region knows of the Bump Track – it’s one of the most talked about trails in Tropical North Queensland – a spectacular brake-burning descent that you can fly down; there’s no avoiding speed!
Expect a couple of creek crossings along the way down to the bottom as well (be prepared, being able to ride through them is unlikely!).
Once you get to the bottom of that with screaming hot brakes, you get to the flats again and you’ll start riding through some iconic Tropical North Queensland landscapes: canefields.
Sugar cane is a big industry in Cairns and Port Douglas and you weave your way through the flatland before ducking through a stormwater drain underneath the highway to avoid the road. From here, you make your way through some residential streets on the outskirts at Port Douglas, before making your way onto the sands of the beautiful Four Mile Beach for the last 4.5km on the sand of one of the most iconic beaches on the planet.
“We have timed the tide so that we have nice, hard-packed sand for everyone to ride along,” says Bade. “Normally that time of day is a bit of a tailwind coming along the sand headed towards the finish line – the most spectacular finish line anywhere in the world!”
Encouraging participation: event options for all mountain bikers
For the dedicated endurance mountain biker, a 40km event may not seem like a marathon but it is undoubtedly challenging, and with participation key on Bade’s mind he developed a recreational 35km ride, taking place alongside the race.
“The feedback we’ve been getting from riders post-race is that it was harder than what they thought it was going to be! While it’s only 40km, it really does challenge people, and they’re pretty knackered at the finish line,” Bade states.
“Even though you think it’s only a 40km race, the climb up Quaid Road could be a bit of a deterrent for more recreational or weekend warriors, so to make sure everyone can be included, we’ve introduced a recreational version for anyone that doesn’t want to have the stress of racing and doesn’t feel up to a 5km, 8% climb.”
“We provide a free shuttle to the top of the climb, so they don’t have to worry about doing that first epic climb. While the recreation ride doesn’t have any prizes or prize money, it’s about being a part of this amazing event, riding down the Bump Track and finishing on Four Mile Beach.”
Options for runners and the Four Mile Beach Sprint
It may just be the most iconic finish to a mountain bike event anywhere in the world, but there’s more to the Port Douglas Gran Fondo Festival than mountain biking.
“Before the Hartley’s to Port Mountain Bike Race finishes on the beach, we’ve actually got the first ever Run Port Douglas happening in the morning. It includes a half marathon, 10k, 5k and 2k run, and they finish on the sand across the same finish line, but well before the mountain bikes arrive.”
Once riders finish the Hartley’s to Port 40km event, the Four Mile Beach Sprint kicks off: a mountain bike sprint race on sand. Bade states “it’s not done anywhere in the world, it’s two riders at a time in a drag race down a 250m circuit. The first heat is timed, and the top 16 times progress through to the next round, and then from then on there are multiple head-to-head knockout rounds, with the first rider across the line progressing into the next round until there are only two riders racing in the final. From there, the Four Mile Beach Sprint champions will be crowned.”
Road events for the skinny-tyre fans
For those with a secret penchant for bitumen, the Port Douglas Gran Fondo Festival has you covered, with Sunday’s event featuring 136km, 100km, 60km and 48km events open to all bikes as well – not just road bikes.
“The 48km event starts in Palm Cove and just comes one way up to Port Douglas on a fully closed highway. We have a lot of mountain bikers enter this event, even though it’s on the road because it’s one of the most spectacular rides in Australia, and the aid stations are in some of the most photographed parts of our region so everyone stops and wants to take a photo,” says Bade.
“Out of the thousands of riders we had last year, probably only 2% of them were racing for a finish time, everyone else just wanted to be out there and enjoy themselves. There’s something for everyone across the entire weekend, so anybody can go and do a run, walk, mountain bike or road ride.”
The perfect holiday in paradise
If you enjoy your holidays with a side of cycling…or mountain biking with a side dish of holidays, you can check out the wide range of things to do and see here. There are no lack of activities in Port Douglas and surrounds, including seeing the Daintree Rainforest, snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef, catching up with some cheeky crocs or checking out the Gran Fondo Festival exhibitors at the Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina.
As Bade says, “it is the most beautiful time of year up here, and so why not get away from the cold southern states, come up here in paradise and have a holiday with a side of cycling!”
Key Details
- Event Name: Hartley’s to Port 40km MTB Race
- Location: Tropical North Queensland, finishing on Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas
- When: September (part of the Port Douglas Gran Fondo Festival)
- Distance: 40km MTB race (with 35km recreation ride option)
- Highlights: Quaid Road climb, Black Mountain Road, Bump Track descent, Four Mile Beach finish
- Special Features: Crocodile sightings, $2300 prize pool, e-bike category, shuttle-supported recreation option
- Festival Add-ons: Run Port Douglas (2km–21km), beach sprint knockout, road events (48–136km)
To find out more and enter the Hartley’s to Port mountain bike race, head to the website here.
